[unreadable] The goal of this proposal is to continue and expand the existing "COBRE Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics." Four state institutions the University of Kansas-Lawrence (KU), the KU Medical Center (KUMC), Kansas State University (KSU), and Wichita State University (WSU), combine resources and faculty to establish a Center to mentor junior faculty in cancer-related research and to create novel infrastructure needed for experimentation at the interface between chemistry and biology. Funds are requested for the support of five projects. Project investigators are partnered with established, active, senior faculty who will serve as their mentors. In addition, the competitive First Award Program to enhance the competitiveness of future recruits, and a program for start-up enhancement packages will be established. Support from the University of Kansas and the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) together with NIH-COBRE funding will provide continued backing for two existing Core facilities and a new Core. Two COBRE Cores, Medicinal Chemistry and High Throughput Screening, started in the last granting period, will receive continued support. A new Core facility for the generation of transgenic and knock-out animals will be established. These Cores are needed to identify novel biological targets, and novel bioactive compounds, that will be useful basic biomedical research tools, and potential therapeutic agents. The Core facilities will be operated by an experienced group of investigators with expertise in the areas of medicinal and combinatorial chemistry, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, cancer cell biology, pharmacology and the development of novel bioassays for compound and cellular target identification. The combination of expertise for the identification of novel drug targets, generation and analysis of novel compounds, together with that for the development of bioassays for screening, offers a unique opportunity for multidisciplinary research. At the end of the granting period, the Center will be the KU-Lawrence part of a new joint Cancer Center with KU-Lawrence and the KU Medical Center. The three COBRE Core laboratories will become University-supported research service laboratories. [unreadable] [unreadable]